


lazarus phenomenon (no one stays dead in gotham)

by pilzformig



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fix-It, Major Character Undeath, No Lesbians Die, Post-Canon Fix-It, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Resurrection, major character death tag is temporary its Tabi Comes Back Bitch, no beta we die like men, tabitha comes back from the dead bc its bullshit that she didnt in canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:14:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24971380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pilzformig/pseuds/pilzformig
Summary: After everything ends, Barbara knows she can't keep going without Tabitha. So she brings her back.
Relationships: Tabitha Galavan/Barbara Kean
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	lazarus phenomenon (no one stays dead in gotham)

**Author's Note:**

> this fic is presented by me, salty that tabitha stayed dead when everybody else gets resurrected in this stupid mf show. womanphobic. homophboic. cannot believe this. anyway barbara and tabi are in love god bless.
> 
> debated extending this and Writing More after tabi comes back but this has been sitting around unfinished for a while so i thought id just post it as is! i will def be writing more for these two i love them so much.

If she was being honest with herself, Barbara had never really thought a world without Tabitha was possible. Ever since they had met, it had just been _them_. They understood each other, they got on, and best of all they worked well together. Sure, there were distractions here and there: Butch, Ra’s, the ever-present Jim Gordon. But these would never take away from the partnership, relationship, _whatever_ that Barbara and Tabi had. So when Barbara saw Tabitha stabbed in front of her, her whole world fucking ended.

She remembers just losing herself, screaming and shooting, thinking only of _Tabitha_ and _revenge_.

It’s been a long time since then. She’s survived the collapse of Gotham, the war, the reunification. She’s survived Jim Gordon, again, and nine months of pregnancy, and childbirth. And here she is at the end of it all, stable, or relatively so.

But she’s without Tabi. She’s without what had become her reverse side, the other half of a pair. And she knows, now, that she just can’t go on without her.

After Tabi died, Barbara had had her body frozen in a capsule she had once squirrelled away from Indian Hill. She had thought it might be useful one day, and god was she glad she had that foresight. It meant that Tabitha’s body could not be harmed during the war, could not decay. It meant that Barbara could make sure Tabitha was kept safe until the time came, inevitably, for her to be brought back.

No one stays dead in Gotham.

♔♔♔

Barbara knew it was a risk to go to Strange. Of course she knew. But she also knew, with all her heart, that she didn’t care what the risk was, as long as she could bring Tabitha back. And Strange was the only man for the job.

With the power she held after the war ended, it was only a matter of time before information of Strange’s location found its way to her.

As soon as she knew where he was, she had Tabitha’s capsule loaded onto a truck, packed two pistols, ammunition, and some knives for good measure, and went to find him.

♔♔♔

Strange is in some godforsaken warehouse on the outer fringes of Gotham. The place looks practically abandoned, but Barbara had it on good authority that he was here, so she strides in, followed by two lackeys pushing Tabitha in on a stretcher.

It’s surprisingly easy to persuade Strange to do the job, with minimal threats and cajoling. She stays by Tabi’s side as he performs whatever science magic bullshit it was that brings people back from the dead. Her hand is in Tabi’s as she comes back to life; she feels warmth replacing the corpse cold that was there before, watches Tabitha’s eyes open. She pays no heed to Strange from that point onwards, could not even say if he was in the room or not.

Barbara lets out a shuddering exhale that matches Tabi’s first, shaking, rattling inhale, and her face contorts as Tabi’s eyes see for the first time in months, fall on Barbara, understand what has happened.

“Tabi,” says Barbara, tears forcing their way out of her eyes.

Tabitha’s reply of, “Barbara,” is just as laboured as her first breath, and it’s one of the most beautiful sounds Barbara has ever heard. She feels Tabi’s hand move in hers, gripping her with as much strength as she can garner. “Did- was I-” Tabitha asks, so unsure, and there are tears rolling freely down Barbara’s cheeks as she says, “Yes,” in response. “Just, stay still for now, love, don’t exert yourself, coming back from the dead isn’t a fucking _cakewalk_ , oh, _oh_ , you’re really back aren’t you,” she sobs, “I love you, Tabi. I love you more than anyone I’ve ever known.”

Tabitha’s mouth is open slightly, and she cocks her head to the side and stares into Barbara’s eyes, and Barbara thinks she hasn’t understood until Tabi says, “I love you too, Barbara.”

♔♔♔

They leave the warehouse without another thought towards Strange, holding each other’s hands. Like an inverse, gay version of Orpheus and Eurydice, Barbara doesn’t take her eyes off Tabi the whole journey back home, terrified that if she looks away, this warm, alive Tabi will disappear, and she’ll be left with an unfeeling corpse in a fucking capsule.

It’s dark by the time they head back to Barbara’s place to recuperate. There’s no talk yet of plans for the greater future, of their relationship, of what Tabi will do and where she will live. Barbara thinks that they’d both be quite happy with the two of them living together, but they’ll have time to discuss that later, when Tabi’s fully recovered. For now, all Barbara wants to focus on is making hot chocolate and sitting with Tabi.

She does so, and though she still doesn’t want to look away from Tabitha, the actions of making hot chocolate are soothing in their familiarity. Once she’s done, she sits next to Tabitha on the couch. They sip silently for a time, not speaking.

“I couldn’t live without you,” Barbara says finally, when her drink is down to its dregs. “Not now. Not after everything we’ve been through.”

She puts her mug down on the coffee table and looks at Tabitha, and there’s such a soft, fragile look in Tabi’s eyes that Barbara almost starts crying again.

Tabi smiles and chokes back what Barbara is sure is a sob. And then, in what feels to Barbara like slow motion, Tabi’s fingertips come to rest lightly on Barbara’s cheeks, and she kisses Barbara so, so lightly, like anything harder would break her apart right now. Barbara cups the back of Tabi’s neck, brushes a thumb along the delicate underside of her jaw. Tabi’s breaths are still a little strained, left over from the death that hasn’t worn away entirely yet.

“Thank you,” Tabi whispers against Barbara’s lips. She’s as much thanking her for the action of bringing her back as she is for Barbara _wanting_ to bring her back so much that she did it. It’s nice to be wanted. They both know that much.

Barbara gives Tabi a quick kiss before taking her hand and standing up. A part of her is scared that if Tabitha goes to sleep she’ll never wake up again, but the rest of her knows that Tabi needs rest.

“Come on,” Barbara says. She walks to her room with Tabi trailing behind her. When they lie down together, Barbara swears that her bed’s never been this welcoming, that her home’s never felt like such a reprieve. Right now, this is she and Tabi’s tiny empire, and right now, it’s all she wants.

Barbara falls asleep in Tabi’s arms, and when she wakes up in the morning, Tabi’s still breathing beside her.

**Author's Note:**

> thank u for reading !!!! hope u enjoyed, would love to read ur thoughts <3


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